TO: Tricia Dyal, owner of Project Me services
FROM: Hannah Faircloth
DATE: October 3rd, 2015
SUBJECT: Social Media Presence of Project Me
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In today’s modern society, a businesses best bet at advertising is through their social media presence. According to Maja Stevanovich, “using social media to reach audiences is no longer trendy; using these tools has become a reality for brands vying for relevance in a crowded marketplace.” Project Me does a great job of utilizing several of the “Big 5” social media platforms, therefore keeping up to date with society. In addition to just utilizing social media, the presence of the rhetorical appeals (ethos, logos, and pathos) help to connect clients to the company even further. The importance of social media advertising has grown tremendously in the past few years- according to an article written by Marketing Landing, “When Facebook launched its first advertising option in May 2005, no one could have predicted that social media advertising revenue would be estimated to reach $8.4 billion in 2015, just ten years later.” This shows the major jump that social media usage has made recently, as businesses become reliant on their social media presence to give them a positive image in the business world.
INTRODUCTION
Project Me is a company based in Jacksonville, NC for kids to gain confidence and be comfortable with who they are through modeling and acting training, dance and music lessons, and fitness workshops.
Project Me does a great job utilizing Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest in order to stay connected with their clientele. Not only do they use the social media platforms regularly to promote a positive business experience for the children involved in the services, but also the parents, who are the ones funding the local business.
RHETORICAL APPEALS
Pathos is the appeal to emotion (Purdue OWL). Project Me dominantly uses pathos in their social media posts to connect their followers emotionally. By expressing the kids positive reviews of their classes and posting pictures of them enjoying themselves at Project Me, parents and friends are convinced Project Me is a good place to be outside of school hours. They show that while the kids are having fun, they are also building their confidence and life skills. In the above screenshot, a parent is expressing their child’s excitement about Project Me services and classes. The parent explains that her daughter enjoyed one of Project Me’s workshops, not only because of the skills she was gaining, but also the friendships she is building along the way.
Ethos is the appeal to credibility (Purdue OWL). Ethos is also seen in their social media presence as they share reviews of happy parents, business partners, and community members. These reviews are Project Me’s credible resources of them being a good business that provides services at a level above and beyond expectations.
Logos is the appeal to logic (Purdue OWL). Logos is used through the Project Me’s social media as they advertise their prices. Project Me’s services include classes, photo shoots, after school fun, workshops, and casting calls. They use a calendar with all of the different events laid out to promote these events, and advertise their prices to be great deals for the package of services they are receiving. This appeals to the parents because of the logic behind it. Paying for a package of services makes sense, especially since Project Me provides additional items for some of their workshops, such as costumes, makeup, and pizza.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook- Project Me uses Facebook to share sneak-peeks of photo shoots, videos of dance and music lessons, casting calls for the kids, and reviews from happy parents.
Instagram- Instagram is predominantly used to get their clients (and friends who could be potential clients) involved in photo contests, as well as sharing monthly event calendars and reminders of different events as time passes. They also use Instagram to post sneak peaks of past photo shoots to get the kids and parents excited about future photo shoots!
Pinterest- The owner of Project Me services, Tricia, has a Project Me pinterest board where costume and photo shoot ideas are pinned, in addition to creative ways to work practice into a busy schedule, and different theme ideas for future photo shoots and events at Project Me.
CONCLUSION
All three of these social media platforms are utilized professionally, positively, and effectively. The rhetorical appeals, ethos/logos/pathos, are intertwined nicely into the social media presence of the company. These appeals each in their own way add to the advertisement of Project Me through social media, whether connecting the parents emotionally or showcasing logic. Without the use of the three major rhetorical appeals, the social media presence of Project Me would not be as much of an effective form of advertisement as it currently is.
WORKS CITED
"Why Social Media Advertising Is Set To Explode In The Next 3 Years." Marketing Land. 17 Mar. 2015. Web. 3 Oct. 2015. .
Stevanovich, Maja. "Rhetorical Analysis of Successful Brands in Social Media Discourse." 1 Dec. 2012. Web. 3 Oct. 2015. .
Peterson, Mallory. "The Peterson Perspective." The Peterson Perspective. 29 Nov. 2012. Web. 3 Oct. 2015. .
"Aristotle's Rhetorical Situation." Purdue OWL. 27 Apr. 2012. Web. 3 Oct. 2015. .